Chapter 6: The Truth Will Break You
Joon followed the telekinetic man through the ruins, his heart pounding with every step. The air was thick with dust, the scent of decay and time pressing in from all sides. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, even though he saw nothing but crumbling buildings and the endless gray sky.
The girl walked beside him, her knife now back in its sheath, but her posture still tense—ready for anything.
The telekinetic man led them into the remains of what had once been a large structure. Joon couldn't tell if it had been a factory, a warehouse, or something else entirely. The roof had partially collapsed, leaving jagged steel beams sticking out like broken bones.
The man finally stopped in front of an old stairwell leading underground. He turned to face them, his sharp eyes locking onto Joon's.
"You're not the first one to come looking for me," he said.
Joon frowned. "There are… others?"
The man studied him for a long moment before shaking his head. "Not anymore."
A cold chill ran down Joon's spine.
The girl crossed her arms. "Who are you?"
The man exhaled slowly. "My name is Seo-joon."
Joon's brows furrowed. "Seo-joon?" He hadn't expected the other traveler to have a name so similar to his own.
Seo-joon ignored his reaction. "I was pulled into this world just like you," he continued. "One day, I was in my village, barely surviving. The next, I was here, in a world that's nothing but an illusion."
Joon hesitated before asking the question that had been burning in his mind since he arrived.
"Why?"
Seo-joon's jaw tightened. Then, without answering, he turned and started down the stairwell.
Joon and the girl exchanged a glance.
Then, together, they followed him down.
The Underground Hideout
The air grew colder as they descended into the ruins. The walls were lined with old cables and rusted pipes, the smell of damp earth filling the narrow passageway. The dim glow of makeshift lanterns flickered along the floor, casting eerie shadows on the cracked concrete.
At the bottom of the stairs, Seo-joon pushed open a heavy metal door, revealing a hidden chamber.
Joon's eyes widened.
The space was filled with scattered supplies—food, water, stacks of old books, and even a small generator humming softly in the corner. Maps covered the walls, covered in markings and strange symbols. A few battered chairs sat around a metal table, and in the far corner, a small cot was pushed up against the wall.
This was Seo-joon's home.
The girl stepped inside first, her sharp eyes scanning everything. "How long have you been down here?" she asked.
Seo-joon shrugged. "Long enough to know that the city isn't what it seems."
Joon walked over to the maps, studying them closely. Most of them showed the layout of the city, with red X's marking certain locations. But it was the map in the center that caught his attention.
It showed what lay beyond the city.
And it wasn't empty.
Joon pointed to a section on the map labeled "The Forbidden Zone." "What is this?"
Seo-joon's expression darkened. "That's where the truth is buried."
Joon turned to face him. "You keep talking about the truth. But you still haven't told me what it is."
Seo-joon sighed, running a hand through his unkempt hair. "Tell me something, Joon." He gestured toward him. "Since you arrived here, what have you noticed about the people in the city?"
Joon hesitated, but the answer was obvious. "They're… empty."
Seo-joon nodded. "That's because they aren't real."
Joon's breath caught in his throat.
The girl frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Seo-joon crossed his arms. "The people in the city… they were once human. But now? They're just programs—hollow shells, repeating the same thoughts over and over again. The Architects didn't just build the city. They erased everything that came before it."
Joon's mind reeled. "But… how? Why?"
Seo-joon's eyes darkened. "Because the world ended."
The Fall of the Old World
Silence filled the room.
Joon felt like the air had been sucked from his lungs. "What do you mean… ended?"
Seo-joon leaned against the table, his gaze heavy. "The world we came from—the villages, the hunger, the struggle—it wasn't just one place. It was all that was left."
Joon's hands clenched into fists.
Seo-joon continued. "There was a war. A war that tore the world apart. The rich, the powerful—they didn't suffer. They had already built the city. A perfect, controlled world where nothing unpredictable could ever happen. And when the war ended… they left the rest of the world to rot."
Joon's stomach twisted.
Seo-joon's voice was grim. "The Architects didn't just build the city. They rewrote history. They turned real people into mindless beings—erasing everything that didn't fit into their perfect world."
Joon shook his head. "But then why are we here? If they erased the past, why bring us?"
Seo-joon let out a slow breath. "That's the one thing I don't know. But I do know this—" He looked Joon dead in the eye. "Whatever their reason, it's not good."
The girl exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. "So, what? We're trapped here? There's no way to fight them?"
Seo-joon's expression hardened.
"There is a way," he said. "But it's in the Forbidden Zone."
Joon turned back to the map, his eyes scanning the marked area.
The Forbidden Zone.
If that was where the truth was buried… then that was where they needed to go.
Something is Coming
Before Joon could speak, a sudden crackling sound filled the chamber.
Seo-joon's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing. He grabbed a small device from the table—a radio of some kind. Static hissed from its speakers.
Then, a voice broke through.
"They know."
Seo-joon stiffened.
"They're coming."
Joon felt a cold wave of fear crash over him.
Seo-joon muttered a curse under his breath, tossing the radio aside. "We need to move. Now."
Joon swallowed hard. "Who was that?"
Seo-joon grabbed a bag and began shoving supplies into it. "An ally. One of the last."
The girl was already at the door, gripping her knife tightly. "How long do we have?"
Seo-joon slung the bag over his shoulder. "Not long enough."
Joon's mind raced. Everything was happening too fast. The truth of this world, the Architects, the Forbidden Zone—he barely had time to process it all.
But one thing was certain.
They weren't safe anymore.
As they rushed out of the underground hideout, Joon felt the weight of something unseen pressing down on him.
Then, just as they reached the surface—
A distant hum filled the air.
Joon's blood ran cold.
Drones.
Seo-joon's voice was grim.
"They've found us."